HomeMy WebLinkAbout105 - 09/05/2023 - APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND TO CONTINUE THE ENCAMPMENT SITE CLEANUP PILOTORDINANCE NO.105,2023
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND TO
CONTINUE THE ENCAMPMENT SITE CLEANUP PILOT PROGRAM
WHEREAS,prior to 2019,the City did not have a separate encampment fund,rather the
costs of cleanups came from regular operating budgets for Natural Areas,Parks,Neighborhood
Services,and other departments where cleanups were occurring;and
WHEREAS,in Fall 2018,a mid-cycle adjustment was requested for a dedicated fund to
utilize in 2019 with the joint offer being submitted by Neighborhood Services,Parks,Stormwater,
and Natural Areas who provide staffing;and
WHEREAS,since 2019,a dedicated encampment fund has been utilized though funds
expended,which have varied over the years likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic;and
WHEREAS,the growing number of site cleanups became an emergent issue with the
turnaround time of site identification to actual cleanup taking up to 3 months;and
WHEREAS,since Fall 2022,a weekly tactical team of staff from Social Sustainability,
Natural Areas,Police Service,Neighborhood Services,Parks Rangers,Transfort,the City
Attorney’s Office and partners such as Poudre Fire Authority and Outreach Fort Collins meet to
coordinate cleanup prioritization and to identify hot spots;and
WHEREAS,the process in coordinating cleanups includes a pre-cleanup stage in which
members of the tactical team will tag items in an identified spot for the purpose of determining
valuation and providing notice according to Policy 9.0--Lost,Abandoned,Unclaimed or
Unattended Tangible Personal Property,adopted by the City Manager and kept on file in the City
Clerk’s Office;and
WHEREAS,in January 2023,a pilot program was implemented to move towards weekly
cleanups with a goal of reducing turnaround time from up to 3 months to 30 days;and
WHEREAS,in April 2023,the turnaround time for cleanups was lowered to an average of
12 days and by July 17,2023,the turnaround time had been further reduced to an average of 8
days;and
WHEREAS,to date,a total of 560 camps have been cleaned with 365 cubic yards of waste,
880 sharps,119 shopping carts and 27 cubic yards of metal collected and diverted from Natural
Areas,Parks,and other locations in the City;and
WHEREAS,if the current pilot program continues,it is on track to divert 100%more trash,
79%more shopping carts and 20%more metal than in 2022;and
WHEREAS,in February 2023,the Fort Collins Police Service has created a pilot program,
led by Sgt.Annie Hill,called H.O.P.E.,which stands for Homeless Outreach and Proactive
Engagement;and
WHEREAS,H.O.P.E.uses compassionate based policing to meet people experiencing
homelessness (PEH)in the field,homeless encampments,and nuisance-related calls to address not
only the complaint but also to connect them to appropriate resources,build relationships with PEH,
and to get a better understanding of their needs;and
WHEREAS,twenty-five percent of the H.O.P.E.team’s time is dedicated towards
mitigating environmental impacts such as tagging and accompanying Natural Areas staff on site
cleanups,which allows the team to provide direct outreach to PEH,especially to those that are not
regular clients of the Murphy Center,Outreach Fort Collins,or other organizations and encourage
them to utilize these resources;and
WHEREAS,the Point In Time numbers were released and have shown an increase of PEH
from 2022 to 2023;and
WHEREAS,in 2022,there were 263 sheltered and 84 unsheltered individuals,which
increased in 2023 to 272 sheltered and 120 unsheltered individuals;and
WHEREAS,the issue of homelessness and the prolonged impacts it has on those
experiencing homelessness and the community should continue to be addressed with a holistic city
and community approach to include the continuation of the site cleanup program;and
WHEREAS,this appropriation benefits the public health,safety and welfare of the
residents of Fort Collins and serves the public purpose of continuing the site cleanup pilot program;
and
WHEREAS,Article V,Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council,upon the
recommendation of the City Manager,to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any
time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves
accumulated in prior years,notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated;
and
WHEREAS,the City Manager has recommended the appropriation described herein and
determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the General
Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the General Fund to exceed the current
estimate of actual and anticipated revenues and all other funds to be received in this Fund during
this fiscal year.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1.That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2.That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the General
Fund the sum of TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($200,000)to be expended in the
General Fund to continue the Encampment Site Cleanup Pilot Program.
Introduced,considered favorably on first reading,and ordered published this 15th day of
August,2023,and to be presented for final passage on the 5th day of Septec •er,2023.4,0
ATTEST:
City CIeT
ATTEST:
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 5th day ofS-.rmber,2023
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Mayy
City Cler